Abstract [en]

Objective: To link outcome measures used in audiological research to the ICF classification and thereby describe audiological research from the ICF perspective.

Design: Through a peer-reviewed or a joint linking procedure, link outcome measures to the ICF classification system using standardized ICF linking rules. Additional linking rules were developed in combination with the established rules to overcome difficulties when connecting audiological data to ICF. Absolute and relative frequencies of ICF categories were reported.

Study sample: The identified outcome measures from the previous study (Part I) constituted the empirical material. Results: In total, 285 ICF categories were identified. The most prevalent categories were related to listening, hearing functions, auditory perceptions, emotions and the physical environment, such as noise and hearing aids. Categories related to communication showed lower relative frequencies, as did categories related to the social and attitudinal environment.

Conclusions: Based on the linked outcome measures, communication as a research topic is subordinated to other research topics. The same conclusion can be drawn for research targeting the social and attitudinal environment of adults with HL. Difficulties in the linking procedure were highlighted and discussed, and suggestions for future revisions of the ICF from the audiological perspective were described.

Granberg, Sarah

Abstract [en]

Hearing loss (HL) is a health condition that affects more than 360 million people worldwide. The findings from previous research point at the adverse relationship between adults with hearing loss and important aspects of everyday life such as social relations, communication and work-related tasks. However, the overall picture concerning the functional and disabling aspects of adults with HL re- mains incomplete. To identify the functional and disabling aspects, a conceptual and/or theoretical framework is required. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) offer a multidimensional framework based on bio-psycho-social assumptions about health. In previous research inves- tigations in which the ICF has been used, some utility problems in the linking (relating) of data to the classification have been highlighted.

The aims of the present thesis were to explore the areas of functioning and disability of relevance for adults with HL and to explore how audiological data can be linked to ICF. The aims were explored by applying the methodology of the ‘interdisciplinary evidence-based approach to functioning and disability in adults with HL’, acknowledging the merging of three perspectives designated the Researcher, the Patient and the Professional perspective. Four studies that focus on the three perspectives were conducted. All results were linked to the ICF classification. The results were merged into a model designated ‘the integrative model of functioning and disability in adults with HL’.

When the three perspectives were linked, the results revealed several aspects of relevance for the target group. Bodily (individual) dimensions, such as hear- ing, auditory perception, memory, attention, energy, and emotions, were acknowledged. Aspects of everyday life such as conversations, the usage of communication strategies, family relationships and work, were highlighted. Influential environmental factors, such as noise, assistive technical devices, the design of public buildings, social support and the attitudes of people in the envi- ronment, were also identified. In conclusion, interactions seemed to be vital as almost all identified aspects highlighted or were tied to this dimension of human functioning. Further, concerning the linking of the data it was acknowledged that the ICF and the research area of adult HL do not fully comply. Suggestions for improvements in future revisions of the ICF were highlighted and discussed.